»07/23/2012ASIABeijing to establish military garrison to control South China Sea
The base will be built at Sansha (Paracel Islands). So far no details about the size and timing of the move have been released. Defence, escort and military operations will be run from the town. Forty-five members were named to run local affairs and represent local residents. In Vietnam, protest against Chinese "imperialism" continues.

Beijing
(AsiaNews/Agencies) - China has approved the formal
establishment of a military garrison on South China Sea islands at the centre
of a dispute with Vietnam and Philippines, state media reported today. The
command will be based in Sansha city on Woody Island in the Paracels, a city
formed in June to administer the area. The Chinese population numbers only a
few thousand, mostly fishermen. On Sunday, 45 legislators were named to the new
city's congress. Although nothing is known about how many soldiers will be
deployed and when, Beijing's decision to set up a garrison is bound to raise
tensions in an area that is strategically important for world trade, and rich
in raw materials as well as oil and natural gas.

The
troops would be ''responsible for managing the city's national defence
mobilisation, military reserves and carrying out military operations". The
command will be ''under the dual leadership of the Hainan provincial
sub-command and the city's civilian leaders".

In Vietnam, protests against China's imperialist policy in the Asia-Pacific
region continue. About
150 Vietnamese protesters marched through Hanoi yesterday to assert Vietnamese
claims over the Spratly and Paracel islands.

The
demonstrators, including parents with toddlers and seniors, defied police requests
to disperse and circumvented barricades aimed at preventing access to a square
where the Chinese embassy is located.

The islands
in the South China Sea are potentially rich in oil and are claimed by China,
Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Philippines and Malaysia. Attempts by some of them to
claim one or more atolls have led to frictions.

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